Roskam: Washington finances almost as bad as (gasp) Illinois

A member of the U.S. Ways and Means Committee, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) will have a stern message about the economy when he addresses the City Club of Chicago today.

If the U.S. doesn't get its fiscal house in order, Roskam argues, the federal government could be headed for a nasty mess only matched by what's happening in Springfield.

Roskam, once a state lawmaker himself, is expected to use Illinois as a precise example of how not to manage government finances. He began serving in the U.S. House in 2007 and now ranks fourth among house Republican leaders.

Here's a peek at some of his remarks expected later today:
"Without a real solution to our structural debt problems--namely, reforming a Medicare system that will go bankrupt in little over a decade--President Obama's second term will see the country's future look like Illinois' present, with families feeling the ripple effect of bad budgeting decisions."